Generally, a device for receiving a broadcast program provided by a TV broadcast station, a cable TV station, etc., processes a reception signal and outputs video. Hereinafter, the device will be called “video output device.” The video output destination is a display installed in the video output device or an external display connected to the video output device through a communication member of a cable, etc. At this time, to meet the demand of the user who wants to view more than one program at the same time, for example, “two-screen mode” of displaying two input video images on two divided screens is widely known.
FIGS. 1(a) to (c) are drawings to show display patterns of general two-screen mode. FIG. 1(a) shows an example of displaying input video A and input video B in parallel in the same ratio. FIG. 1(b) shows an example of displaying input video A and input video B in different sizes. FIG. 1(c) shows an example of superposing input video B of a small screen on input video A displayed on the full screen. FIGS. 2(a) to (c) show display examples of assigning video to each display pattern of the two-screen mode shown in FIGS. 1(a) to (c).
When video is displayed on a display in the two-screen mode, generally the user performs predetermined operation, thereby switching the screen division pattern at a fixed ratio. However, recently, a video output device for dividing a screen at any desired ratio specified by the user has also appeared.
On the other hand, in a recent video output device, the screen becomes larger and higher functions are provided. For example, a model installing a plurality of tuners, a model installing a plurality of external input terminals that can be connected to a gaming machine, etc., a model of playing back a moving image received through the Internet, a model of recording a received program on a record medium for storage, and the like are available. Consequently, one large screen in a living room may be divided into three parts and the family may view three video images. For example, the following use is assumed: A mother and a daughter enjoy a recorded drama on a first division screen, a father enjoys a baseball relay on a second division screen, and a son enjoys a game on a third screen.
If a plurality of video images are scaled down and displayed at a fixed ratio or any desired ratio on the display of the video output device having the screen dividing function described above, a character string or a symbol in the scaled-down video may be crushed as shown in FIG. 2(a) to (c). At this time, the displayed information is hard to read by the user and cannot be recognized by the user; this is a problem.
One method of solving this problem is disclosed in Patent Document 1. According to the method in the document, when a program involving data broadcast is scaled down for display by screen division, the user superposes a menu screen of data broadcast specified by the program sending party outside the scaled-down screen based on layout information by remote control operation.
However, this method assumes that a predetermined character string and image data are involved in the program as data broadcast together with layout information. The user must continuously operate the remote controller to display information to be checked. Since information is superposed on a different division screen, the different division screen is hidden by the superposition screen and information is lost.
Another method to solve the problem is disclosed in Patent Document 2. In the method in the document, for two or more input video images, a first input video is displayed on the full screen and a subtitle area containing a character string is extracted from the second input video and the extracted character string is superposed on any desired position of the first input video.
FIGS. 3 to 5 are drawings to show an outline of processing according to the method disclosed in Patent Document 2. In the method in Patent Document 2, of two input video images A and B shown in FIG. 3(a), a character string B′ is extracted from the input video B as shown in FIG. 3(b) and is superposed on the input video A as shown in FIG. 3(c). FIG. 4 shows a display example when video is assigned to each screen. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the score display portion corresponding to the character string area B in the baseball relay corresponding to the input video B is superposed on the input video A.